Jane and the Unicorn
by elainefr
Summary: The Last Unicorn was a childhood favorite. I always want for couples that are meant to be...to be I suppose. I hope that you enjoy the read. I don't own any of these characters and make no profit. Reviews are welcome, as always and thanks in advance.


"Don't look so grumpy; I think that this will be fun for you," Amanda said to her daughter's petulant sitting position in the back seat. She brushed the dirty blonde locks out of her eyes and turned her attention back to the road. The horse farm was a good place to keep the creative juices going and it was something that Amanda had done with her mother once when she was a child. She didn't have to actually ride a horse, the views of the land was more than enough to occupy the mind of any artist young or old.

"Now you can wander around the land while I set up over here," her mother said once she'd set up her easel in a spot that she'd chosen to paint.

"Right….." the little girl wandered off with sketch book and pencil in hand. She looked at the different animals that she passed curiously. It was in an empty stall in the barn that she found a good spot that she intended to catch a nap in. She didn't mind the smell of the horses; they actually smelled better than all those chemicals that her dad used to develop his pictures.

"Little one," a voice urged the child from her sleep, "can you help me?"

She rolled over and opened her eyes to see whom was talking to her.

"Whose there?" the child couldn't see who was speaking to her from her seated position so she stood and cautiously peered around the corner of the stall.

"Me," came a reply from the next stall. She didn't see anyone, only a beautiful horse.

"I don't see you. Show yourself," the child demanded with as much muster as she could.

"There's no need to be afraid. I stand before you."

"No you don't there's only a horse-"

"Horse! I am no horse!" indignation oozed from every proper syllable. "Can you not see what see what stands before you so clearly? If you can hear me, then you can see me. Look now child and tell me what you see, quickly."

The child looked at the animal more closely and shrugged her shoulders as if in dismissal of the burst of outrage.

"You're a white horse with a stick glued on the head so that you look like a unicorn or something." She stated with a defiant lift to her chin and hand on her hip while the other held her sketchbook and pencil.

"Dear child, would you remove the tack that seems to have gotten in my foot? I have tried everything, but this place is so confining." She explained ignoring the child's crude explanation.

The child cocked her head to one side and surveyed the animal before opening the door and entering the area. She kneeled to look at the raised hoof and quickly located and removed the source of discomfort.

"Thank you." The relief was evident in the animal's voice.

"No prob… so do they charge to see you or something?"

"No….. _they_ think that I'm a mare too."

"Okay, I'll bite, what are you?" the child sat down and began to sketch as the animal spoke.

The animal looked at the pale child before speaking.

"I have been called many things worse than horse I suppose, but to be called out of one's name is always insulting. Though not paternal, I was mother to the creature Zeus. Now that was an interesting one. At first I thought that he had been abandoned when I found him in my home, but I soon found out that his mother had hid him there to protect him from his father. He was so playful and grew to be a warrior not to be tangled with and he held a charismatic charm that appealed to his entire species. I was very pleased with him. I moved on when he grew into his own and moved on to make a new home in a lovely forest. It was filled with so many creatures that are no more. Then one day this butterfly tells me, in his own infuriating way, that I am the last of my kind. I found this hard to believe, for there has never been a time when 'We' didn't fill the world and protect our forests. I set out to find the others, to allay my own concerns. On the way, I was captured by a roadside act – Fortuna was her name. I was asleep when she cast her magic upon me and forced me into her traveling carnival act. She used her magic to cast illusions and you humans see what you wanted for whatever reasons. It cost her greatly though. Using magic to keep something genuine down, is taxing and in the end it was her undoing. I continued on my journey joined by a young magician in the making- Schmendric was his named and later we were joined by Molly. They were humans that saw me and didn't try to lock me away and do whatever it is that humans do to things that don't fit into their little minds. We traveled together sharing the same quest. They had, what I thought then, to be an odd relationship. They clearly liked each other, but they hid behind their words instead of telling one another. I had gathered more information that took us to a dilapidating ruin of a castle being run by an old man that called himself a king. Haggard was no king, not by my definition, but humankind tend to have their own ways of doing things and changing the rules. He had no affection for his kingdom, his people, or his son- Lir." Her voice took on a softer tone as she spoke now. He had the makings of fine king. He is the finest man that I would ever know. He taught me how to feel what your kind feels. It was Schmendric that changed me to look like one of you. He had to so that we could search the castle for the others without making Haggard suspicious." She looked down at the little girls figure as she sketched quickly trying to capture whatever it was she saw in the tale.

"You loved him," the child stated as she continued.

"…..yes, I love him. That can't change." The voice held an acceptance, tinged with something the child could not yet put a name to…..regret.

"So why didn't you stay with him?" she asked as she continued to draw.

"When I faced the Red Bull, I had to do so in my true form. It was the only way to save the others from him. Once I did that…..well I did drive him into the waters so that the others could go free. After that, Schmendric and Molly went off….."

"What about Lir? Why didn't you just get that Schmendric guy to change you back?"

"Nature's balance was restored and Schmendric was new to his powers. My kind was back in the world, I could ask no more than that. It was in those moments afterwards that I knew what it was that drove the good humans, the ones that continued against insurmountable odds, the ones that are written about, the ones that would slay the dragon and lay it a maiden's feet to make her feel safe in his presence. Love rarely comes in the form that one thinks and to experienced it is a bittersweet experience that was never to be known on my part, but I am eternally grateful nonetheless."

The child seemed to puzzle over something before speaking.

"So…..what are you doing here?"

"Sorry I'm late Amalthea," a male voice said entering the stall carrying a basket. "Oh, I wasn't aware that you had a guest. Hello little one." He smiled a warm smile to the little girl that was looking at him curiously.

"Hey." She watched as he opened the door to allow the creature to go before him without saddling it or seeming to worry that it would run off.

"Jane, time to go," she heard her mother's voice call from somewhere outside.

"Okay," she called back still watching the creature and man interact. They turned and gave her a small nod before watching her leave. She'd made it outside when she realized that she'd forgotten her sketch pad. She gave her mom the 'just a sec' signal before running back to retrieve it.

"She removed a tack from my foot. Did you see her drawings, they are quite remarkable. She has great promise."

"What if she tells someone?" The gray haired man with the blonde streaks and slender build asked concerned.

"People believe what they see and she didn't fully believe who I was either…."

"Maybe not at first, but you told her your story."

"Our story and I think that did make a difference for her."

"What did you see- for her."

"If she remains true to herself, then her art will be her platform. She will know great loves in her lifetime in many different forms. There will be tests, of course there are always are," she looked at him with great meaning, before returning to her thoughts on the little girl, "but as long as she remains her core self and doesn't lose focus, she will persevere. She will actually become an inspiration for others from many walks of life."

Jane dared to peek in the barn further. She saw the back of the man and a moment later she saw a young woman with long white as snow hair wearing a lavender gown emerge from the stall bare footed.

"My lady," the man said giving a bow without ever taking his eyes from hers.

"My prince," she gave a dainty curtsy allowing the tumble of hair to fall slightly forward covering the lavender star that graced her forehead.

He took her hand in his and picked up the basket.

"We haven't much time for me to stay in this form," she said with apprehension in the violet eyes that seemed to endlessly sparkle.

"Then we will make the most of what we have as we have always done."

"Are you sorry that the magic played such a cruel joke on you?"

"Sorry that I get to spend time with the one that I love? It's what I asked for; the details don't matter. My life would have been over long ago if I hadn't agreed. Now, no more of that talk. Let us go to our spot in our forest by the waters and enjoy this picnic and one another."

Jane hid and allowed the couple to pass and watched as they continued on into the woods and out of her sigh line. She quickly retrieved her sketchpad and got in the car with her mother.

"Did you enjoy the horses?" her mother asked looking at her daughter's reflection in the mirror.

"She's not a horse mom. She's a unicorn."

Her mother smiled at her. That's was her little Janey pooh. In a stable full of horses, she saw one and that one had to be a unicorn.

"Well I'm glad that you had fun. Did you get a lot sketched? I'd love to see them."

"Maybe later. I really want to paint some of it too."

"Okay. You can use some of my paints and we'll get you your own tomorrow. How's that?"

"Cool….."

Jane turned and looked out the window and let the scenery pass by in a flurry, much like her thoughts over her days events. She couldn't wait to get home and tell her brother Trent. She knew that he would make sense of things for her and even if he couldn't ...he'd probably get a song out of it somehow.


End file.
